Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1887-06-24

Friday Morning "a, 1887.
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The Battle Flag Excitement.
Not long since Adjutant General Drum
OF the Army conceived the sentimental
idea of having the old battle flags cap
tured on either side during the civil war,
which are stored away among the cob
webs in the garnet of the War Department
at Washington, returned to the Governors
of the several States from which they
came. Included in the rubbish thus pro-
posed to be disposed of were federal flags,
captured by the confederates and finally
turned over to the federal government at
the final surrender, and confederate flags
captured by the federal troops 1t occur
ed to the Adjutant General, as he says,
that it would he handsome thing in
these days of reunions and fraternal feel
ing between the once antagonistic sections
to return these trophies OF former strife
TO their former posseSsors.
And so warmed up with bis great pur-
pose did the Adjutant General become,
that he hied him away to the Secretary of
War. Mr.. Endicott, from Massachusetts,
and laid before his departmental chief the
substance of his brotherIy project. The
matter found favor with Mr.. Endicott and
in due time it was informally presented
to the President, with q request for an
executive order to carry it into effect
Apparently failing to discern the great
principles involved in these old banners
and approving of the spirit which SEEM
ingly prompted the proposed action, the
President gave his authority for their dis
tribution as proposed. But 10 no sooner
had the plan been made known than a
terrible howl went up through the North
and the East. The emissaries of John
Sherman and the "Grand Army" men and
in fact the entire vocal organs of the late
Republican party, sent up loud and dis
cordant yell. Their minds seemed to be on
fire with the idea that the opportune time
to send up the bloody shirt yell-the only
remaining battle cry of their party-for
all that it was worth had arrived. And
SO they yelled themselves hoarse and many
were the mad and insane things that were
said.
The whole war was fought over again
by these Fl ~ patriots and the battle flags
were borne back and forth in an imagi-
nary strife by brave men who never found
it convenient to participate in the real
warfare. John Sherman and his friends
weie all agog with the thought that nav
impetus had been given to their proposed
bloody shirt campaign. But in the midst
of all their excitement and "ghoulish glee'
the intelligence suddenly came that Mr..
Cleveland had examined the question in
its legal aspect and, failing to find any
legislation to warrant such action by the
executive department of the government,
directed the Secretary of War to take no
further action in the matter until such
time as Congress should authorize it.
And so large measure of the wind was
taken out of their sails and the reverbera-
tions of their lusty yells are gradually dy-
ing away.
This matter in itself was of the most
trivial importance and was no doubt so
regarded by the President. The Southern
States did not want the flags and no sug
gestion of the kind had ever come from
any confederate source. The extravagant
proportions to which the small matter has
been magnifed by Republican demago-
cues demonstrates more clearly the fact
that the only living issue with that party
at present is the prejudices and hatreds OF
the civil war of quarter of century
ago. That the leaders OF that party should
have seized upon such an incident to make
political capital of shows how irrevocably
dead the Republican party is and ought
to be.
The Louisville Courier Journal, com
mentiug on this matter says: Nobody in
the South, certainly no Southern State
and no Confederate soldier, cares a nickle
whether the battle flags are returned or
not. If there be single soldier of the
North who would retain them as trophies
he is welcome to all the glory and all the
display which they can recall to his mind
or bring to his heart. To US they mean
nothing whatever. Assuredly, they be-
token no greater loss on the side of the
North than on that of the South, and to a
sound and healthy understanding, it is
inconceivable how their possession can be
. matter of moment or concern to any
patriotic bosom. As well might we re-
joice in the preservation and exhibition
of the bloody paraphernalia of the hospi-
tai or the rotting cerements of the grave
In commenting on the recent action Of
President Cleveland ordering the return
of the Southern battle flags and the sud.
den revocation of the sane order, Repre-.
sentative Blount, of Georgia, said that
while it was an unfortunate error, partic.
ularly at this time, he does not think il
will lessen the good opinion of the South.
ern people toward Mr.. Cleveland. The
most serious feature of the transaction is
that up to the present time the President
has been regarded as an unusually pru-